Car-coupling.



UMTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

llfhhlhlll)ON BATCHLOR, OF LAWRENCEBURG, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO AUGUST D. COOK, 0F LAWRENCEBURG, INDIANA.

To `all whom 'Lt' nw/y4 concern:

'B e 'it known that I, 'LANDON BA'rcHLon. a citizen of thellnited States, and ares'ident in the county vented certain. newA and useful Improvements in Car-Couplers, ot' .which the followin rf1sa full,.clear and exact description,

@reverence being had to the `accompanying.;

drawing,

forming a partV of this specificaf fhebject ofrmy invention is to provide 'ay 'coupler' of the Janneytype,

asprihgsofany kindin connection Wit 1 the lo'ekls avoided, and in which the locking parts are so arranged' that they cannot jar loose to release the knuckle, also that the knucklel-shallbe automatieallyv released should :the lcar 'turn over or' vbe suspended over'anzembankment I In'the'fdrawings,"11`igure `1 is a horizontal section ofmy improved coupler.

a centralverticalsection of the same. Fig.

:isla front elevation, parti)r -broken away,

- formed?v withI ears 4", 4',

`with the knuckle removedr. Fig. 4 is a side elevation, valso partly= broken away. Fig.

515:21 perspective viewof ythe removable casingrfor the' locking bal 11 isthedrawhead, 'preferably a solid casting-in ai single piece,- provided with the usual 'twin =jaws 2, 3, with one of the jaws which form a recess fonthe pivotal Ymounting of the knuckle 7 l'the-i the locking arm l10.

The numeral 11v designates a recess formed in the body of the drawheadto receive the ball 12 which forms the lockfor-the knuckle. In order'that the' ball maybe `confined in 'the recess, and that it may `be located in placeginfassembling theparts, the side wall ofjth'e recess is made in a separate plate 13,' hollowed lout on the inside to forni a recess l4ltofcorrevspondfwith the shape of the recessn the' opposing wall, so that the-two recesses form the compartment o'r chamber 11`forgthe'ba-ll. When the ball is located in thechamber, the. side wall plate-is placed positionL ith the lateral pin 16,y which v Specication of Letters Patent. .Application led August 15, 1910. Serial No. 577,230.

in which a` f ff, balli-is employed to lock the knuckle.

Fig. 2 is knuckle pin `8:' Theknuckle 7 isv formedfwith the usual tongue 9 andwith.

Patented Jan. 23,1912.

socket in the opposing wall; Pivotally mounted .on this pin. 16 in the chamber 1 1, between the side walls, is the locky lever 1.5. The lever is provided with a Senn-circular recess 17 forming' a claw for the lever,` one point of the claw 18 hearing on the ball 12 to hold it in its forward position, and the other 'point o'l the claw 19 resting underneath the ball.

The numeral 2O designates the actuating arm of the locking lever which passes'vertically downward through the. slot' 21 cutthrough the drawhead.v 'The locking. lever is so weighted thatthe ccntenof gravity lies to the right of full lines. Sliding in a recess Q2 formed through the roof of the hall chamber is the pin Q3. yThis Q3 will by its own weight rest upon thc up- The-pin Q3 is loosely mountedgil'i the'openforward into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. the pin will be raised.

Mounted in a lateral slot 31 in the drawhead is a levtr .24 which extends outside the: coupler and the inner end oi this lever hearf against the hook member 10 of the knuckle. In order not to weaken the jaw oi the drawhead, this lever is pivoledgto an (werhanging plate or ledge 13".) which p ro- 4jects froluthe side of the drawhead above the slot through which the lever passes. This ledge also serves as a guard lo prevent water entering the slot.

in the forward portion ot'. the ball chamber, the hall ystands in the pathwa \v of the rounded inner enduit' thil hook l() of th'e knuckle, and the knurkl(I will he locked. so that when' the knuckle is engaged b v a. corresponding,

will lac coupled together. lt will he evident from 'this construction that when the lever arm 2() is pulled forwarrh the lower prong' 19 of the claw on the locking lever will raise the hall 12 and allow it to drop into the rccess between the claws and the. ball willhe carried by the claws into the position shown in the dotted lines in Fig.

is secured to the plate enteringr a suitable lVhen the hall 12 is in its norinal position' llVhen in this and below `the pivotal point of the lever as viewed in Fig. Q'by the recess is formed at an angle so that the -pinf per edge of the lockiim,r lever 15 and tend to hold .the lever in its normal position.

ing in the chamber, however,A so that whern` Vthe arm 2O of the locking lever is moved knuckle on another coupler. ihetwo cars position, the ball will be raised out of the pathway of the hooked end of the knuckle, and the knuckle will be released to rotate into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. This movementwill be brought about either by the pull on the tongue 9 of the knuckle or by operating the lateral lever 24.

It will be evident from the 4foregoing construction, that there are no Openings from .above into which water and dirt can seep to clog upt-he operation of the coupler. The

. 'drawheadv itsell is cast in a single piece,

lproperly lcored out, the body ot the drawhead being formed with the recess o r chainber for the ball with the 1'oof26 of the ball Vchamber an integral part of the drawheadl the only separable piece of the drawhead is the lateral wall 13 of the ball chamber., and this is held in place by the bolt 27 which vis passed down through the top of the head and through a vertical hole' 30 in the lateral wall 13 of the ball chamber and through the 'bottom of the drawhead where it is secured the drawhead for the reception ofv the usual by the cotter pin 28, or in any other suite Way; The parts are readily put together. The

ball 12 is inserted in place, the lever 15 with its claw located in the chamber and the wall drawbar, and the two levers 20 and 24 are suitably connected by links .with the lever that can be actuated from the side ot the car,

- so that the coupler can be operated without going between the cars.

Inasmuch as the center of gravity of the locking lever 15 is forward of and below the pivot of the lever, the ball will always be held by the claw 18 at the forward end of the ball chamber, and the lateral wall of the ball chamber is provided with a slot 30, through which the inner end of the hook 10 of the knuckle projects, so that the ball normally stands in locking position. When the knuckle is released, the inner end of the hook 10 of the knuckle when-it is rotated backto locked position, readily pushes the ball aside to allow for the passage of the hook and the ball drops back 1nto locking position assisted by the weight of the locking lever and the pin 23. The weight of the locking lever and the pin 23 is amply sufficient to prevent the ball from being displaced from locking position under any jars to which the car may be subjected. At the same time, snouiu the car be overturned, the weight of the locking lever will then tend Ato raise the ball 12, the claw 19 coming'in contact with t-he ball and the knuckle will be released. This same action is brought about when the coupler i's inclined upwardly to an angle of the vert-ical of about thirty degrees, so that in caseof any accident, the coupler on the car which is hanging over the edge of an embankment or bridge will be automatically released to allow the car to drop without pulling't-he next car with it. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a car coupler, the combination of vthe drawhead having a bifurcated jaw and a rotating knuckle, of a ball chamber within the d rawhead, a ball movable therein, the lateral wall of the ball chamber having a slot therein through which the tail of the knuckle projects, a locking lever pivoted on a horizontal axis with its center of gravity in front of and below the pivotal, point, and provided with claws to cngage'the ball 0n opposite sides, and' a recess to receive and carry the' ball, the upper claw of the locking lever holding the ball within the path- 'way of the travel of the knuckle hook, and

means whereby the' knuckle may be rotated when the ball shifted by the shifting of the locking lever.

2. In alcar coupler, the combination of the drawhead having a bifurcated jaw and a rotating knuckle, of a ball chamber within the drawhead, a ball movable therein, the lateral wall of the ball chamber having a slot therein through which the., tail ot the knuckle projects, a locking lever pivoted on a horizontal axis with its center of gravity in front of and below the pivotal point, and provided with claws to engage the ball on opposite sides, and a recess to receive and carry the ball, a pin loosely mounted in inclined position in a recess in the roof of the ball chamber and bearing upon the locking lever to assist in holding the lever in position to hold the ball within the pathway of the travel of the knuckle hook, and means whereby the knuckle may be rotated when theball is shifted by the shitting ot the lock-1m ing lever.

his LANDON BATCHLOR. 

